Former President Goodluck Jonathan has criticized the state of emergency declared in Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as a blatant abuse of power by the executive, legislature, and judiciary.
Speaking at the annual colloquium organized by the Haske Satumari Foundation in Abuja on Saturday, Jonathan said the political crisis in Rivers State had prompted many people to seek his opinion shortly after President Tinubu announced the emergency rule and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and members of the state assembly for six months.
Although he noted that former presidents typically avoid commenting on the actions of their successors to maintain political stability, Jonathan said he felt compelled to speak out. He likened the situation to an Indian proverb:
“If someone is truly asleep, you can wake them up.
But if they’re pretending to sleep, it’s much harder.”
He continued, “The key players in Nigeria—executive, legislature, judiciary—know what is right but have chosen to ignore it.
This is a clear abuse of office across all three arms of government.
They are pretending not to see what’s wrong, and that makes it even harder to fix.”
His comments come amid widespread controversy surrounding the emergency declaration and the deepening conflict between Governor Fubara and his political mentor, Nyesom Wike.
The National Assembly’s endorsement of the emergency rule through a voice vote has also drawn criticism, with many questioning the lack of a proper two-thirds majority in such a critical decision.
Meanwhile, Peoples Gazette reported that some lawmakers were allegedly bribed by presidential allies to support the proclamation—an act that opposition leaders have condemned as unconstitutional.